Medicosnext
Words by Kunga Dolma Shrestha
In the race for speed, lives are often left behind. Let’s slow down and prioritize safety on Nepal’s roads.
A total of 2320 people lost their lives in road traffic accidents between April 2021 to April 2022, where more than 28000 people were injured, many of them impaired for life. An average of 14 deaths per day per 100,000 population occurs due to road traffic injuries in Nepal.
Road accidents don’t just happen; they result from a collective failure to adhere to traffic rules. It’s time for awareness and responsible driving to take the lead.
An incident of traffic accidents can be seen every day at some important junctions in Kathmandu like Chahahil, Gwarko Chowk, Thapathali, etc. About 72 % percentage of Road Crash Fatalities and Injuries occur in the economically productive age groups (15 – 64 years.)
Human Factors in RTA
Human factors contribute considerably to the increasing number of road accidents in Nepal. Many drivers persistently exhibit reckless behavior, rushing in a tearing hurry and making errors in judgment, often resulting in major accidents. The primary causes of road accidents include reckless driving, overspeeding, non-compliance with traffic rules, and driving under the influence of alcohol.
For the same, there must be traffic awareness among the drivers and the pedestrians. Yes, the pedestrians, while traffic rules are mostly made for the drivers. It is necessary that the pedestrians must understand the type of vehicles running on the road and their place. Two wheelers like scooters can be controlled only by applying the handbrakes and most of the riders do not use the front brakes. And the pedestrians must understand that sudden application of brakes is usually not possible in case of scooters especially when they are riding downhill. In case of two wheelers like motorcycles, overtaking from the wrong sides, rash driving and speed is the major cause of road accidents.
From underage driving to faded zebra crossings, every detail matters on the road. It’s high time we bridge the gaps in awareness and infrastructure for a safer Nepal.
As for the parents, they give motor cycles and scooters to under aged children, mostly the college going kids. These youngsters can be seen driving on the roads with no license or proper training leading to a large number of casualties. This is mostly seen among the kids whose parents are abroad leaving their kids with their parents or the other relatives, caving in to the child’s demands. Accidents often result from a fascination with speed, and the lack of proper supervision is attributed to the absence of parents. Local guardians find it challenging to fill the parental gap. College-going youth, particularly the +2 students, are frequently observed without a valid driving license.
Those who dump the construction materials on the road side also must understand that when they encroach the road, it hampers the free flow of traffic as the space on the road is compromised. The debris and sand on the road also is a major cause of accidents as two wheelers tend to slip. There is no public awareness and legal penalties for such discrepancies.
Many times the drivers don’t seem to know what could be the reason for the penalties that they are levied upon. It is because the traffic rules are not clear and traffic signs are not in the correct places and most of the zebra crossings are faded and if a new driver drives, it becomes almost impossible to understand that there was a zebra crossing. Another problem is that the general public is not aware of the traffic rules and many cannot decipher the meanings of the traffic signs.
Drunk driving is one of the major causes of road accidents. The figures also show that most of the road accidents on the highways are due to drunk driving. Worldwide, some 480,000 deaths and 20 million people get injured by drunk driving every year. In most high-income countries about 20% of fatally injured drivers have excess alcohol in their blood, i.e., blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in excess of the legal limit. In contrast, studies in low- and middle-income countries like India have shown that between 33% and 69% of fatally injured drivers and between 8% and 29% of non-fatally injured drivers had consumed alcohol before their crash.
In Nepal, drunk driving is customary in commercial vehicle drivers. Private car owners and youngsters are also major players in the game. Small bars along the main highways are of prime concern to control drunk driving. Nepal has laws to check drunken driving but its effective implementation is still to be worked upon. Drunken driving has been responsible for 70% of road fatalities in and around Kathmandu.
Driver fatigue is a very dangerous condition created when the driver suffers from symptoms of fatigue while driving, often resulting from the hypnotic effect especially during nighttime driving either falling asleep at the wheel or so exhausted resulting in serious- and fatal-driving errors. The increasing number of traffic accidents due to a diminished driver’s vigilance level has become a serious problem for society. Statistics show that 20% of all traffic accidents and up to one-quarter of fatal and serious accidents are due to drivers with a diminished vigilance level. Furthermore, accidents related to driver’s hypo-vigilance are more serious than other types of accidents, since sleepy drivers often do not take correct action prior to a collision.
Drunk driving isn’t a game; it’s a deadly risk. Let’s raise awareness, enforce laws, and break the cycle of tragedy on Nepal’s highways.
Realizing this serious Public Health Issue happening globally, the WHO in 2004 came out with a theme of “Road Safety is No Accidents” to highlight the urgency to tackle the issue on a priority basis. It is high time for us to look into the various issues of the RTA in this perspective so that corrective and preventive measures can be undertaken in an urgent manner so that further damages can be lessened.
How to minimize road accidents?
It is important that people receive road safety education. A formal road safety education in an educational environment outside of school is also an effective means of road safety training. Road welfare experts and educators must plan and support road safety programs and train the educators.
Traffic signs or road signs are signs erected at the side of or above roads to give instructions or provide information to road users. Note that the earliest signs to emerge on the roads were simple wooden or stone milestones.
Road debris, a form of debris includes substances, materials and objects that are foreign to the normal roadway environment. Debris may be produced by vehicular or non-vehicular sources but in all cases it is considered litter, a form of solid waste. Debris may tend to collect in areas where vehicles do not drive, such as on the edges, around traffic islands and junctions.
Road conditions can change quickly when incidents such as vehicle crashes, dangerous weather, power outages, emergency road works and special events occur. In some cases, roads are closed and detours are set up to guide you around such incidents. Such information needs to be sent to the public in advance and detour routes be properly guided.
The pedestrians must understand that simply raising the hand signaling the vehicles to stop is not appropriate. They raise their hand gesturing to the vehicles to stop in the middle of the road when the traffic is high. Just imagine this happening in areas such as Chabahil Chowk nearby Medicare Hospital where the roads are elevated and generally the brakes of scooters do not work properly. The Nepal government hasn’t made much overhead pedestrian crossings, however, even in places where such structures have been developed it can be noted that some pedestrians do not use the overhead bridges to cross the road, which also leads to many road traffic accidents.
In conclusion, the road safety scenario in Nepal is a critical issue demanding urgent attention and comprehensive measures. It is evident that awareness among both drivers and pedestrians is crucial, and efforts should be made to educate the public on traffic rules and safety measures. The involvement of parents and guardians is vital, particularly in discouraging underage driving and providing proper supervision. The issue of drunk driving, prevalent in commercial vehicle drivers and private car owners, calls for more stringent enforcement of existing laws.
(PHD Scholar)
Vice Principal
Herald Secondary School
